Reminisce
by Sly Shinobi
Summary: When memories of the past are the only things that can keep you going...Reminisce away, Princess.
1. Chapter 1

**Reminisce**

**CHAPTER ONE**

"What's going on!" a man demanded. Zelda had a group of gaurds around her, one of them held a firm grip on her forearm, she was dressed in traveler's clothes, a light yellow-green hunter's shirt and long brown cloth pants.

The man who had spoken was about 2 years older than Zelda; he had a well-groomed appearance and seemed trustworthy at first glance.

The guard holding onto Zelda replied in an irritated way, but knew enough to stay in control of the tone of his voice when speaking to his superior officer, "This prisoner is refusing to allow us to search her, sir."

The man eyes Zelda for a moment, "Is that so?"

He walks over to her and eyes the others; they avert their gazes, "Let me handle her."

He gently takes her hand and leads her towards the holding cell down the cobblestone steps; he spoke over his shoulder, "Return to your posts, all of you."

The man led Zelda into a room for holding suspected criminals. As far as Zelda could tell, the place was empty. The man shuts the door, sealing them both inside, "Well, miss, I still have to search you, you know…"

Zelda turned and looked at him with an angry, spiteful expression.

The man held his hands up peacefully, "Look, I'm not going to do anything stupid, okay? You know it's required to make sure you're not carrying anything dangerous."

Zelda replied angrily, "Is a strip search required, too?"

The man raised a brow and glanced at the door, thinking about the gaurds from earlier, "Oh…hmm," he thought, "So that's why." He turned to Zelda, "I'll have a talk with them later, they'll hear from me very soon. I guarantee it."

He stepped towards her, she backs away. The man sighs, "Look, I'm just going to pat you down, ok? Not everyone here acts like those idiots up there, I promise."

The man stops and sighs, "Fine…look, I'll just ask you. Do you have any weapons on you?"

"No." she answered.

"Any other illegal items? Contraband?" he asked.

"No." she quickly answered in an irritated way.

The man puts his head down, "Well…this isn't going anywhere. You could be lying for all I know."

Zelda narrowed her eyes, "You'll just have to live with it."

The man scratches the back of his head in thought, "Alright, fine. I'll just take your word for it. I owe you that much for what you went through earlier." He points to the jail cell behind her, "Just do me a favor and go in there."

Zelda shook her head.

The man sighs, "You're making this harder than it has to be."

Zelda crosses her arms, "I don't belong here."

The man walks up to her, "I guess I'll have to be rough with you, then…"

Zelda backs away and suddenly bolts towards him. She almost makes it past before the man grabs her by the arm and pulls her to him, "Hold it!" he yelled, using his other hand to wrap around her waist and picks her up sideways as she kicked and screamed in an effort to escape. He carried her into the cell and unceremoniously drops her as he runs back out and slams the barred doors shut.

Zelda sits up and stares at him with hatred in her eyes. They were both panting.

The man looked annoyed, "See? You would've ended up in there one way or the other."

Zelda puts her head down, defeated.

The man looked at her curiously, "Tell me one thing."

Zelda looked up. He continued, "What did you do to get put in here?"

"You carried me in here." Zelda said sarcastically. The man shakes his head, "Look, you'd have to do something wrong before we can jail you like this."

"That's none of your business." Zelda replied heatedly.

He responds by sighing and turning away, "Whatever."

As he reached for the door, Zelda shouted to him, "Wait."

He ignored her and begins to open the door. Zelda said quickly, "My name is Zelda!"

The man froze; he looked at her before shutting the door again, "Zelda…As in…Princess Zelda?"

Zelda merely looked at him.

The man laughed, "You're joking. You really shouldn't be doing that. Impersonating royalty can land you in jail, you know."

Zelda sighs.

Realization hits him and he laughs, "Oh…so that's why you're here." He eyes her curiously, "You know, if you're going to pretend to be someone, you really shouldn't impersonate someone as famous and influential as Princess Zelda. Besides, she's back in Hyrule. She can't be in two places at once. If she had gone missing, half the globe would be buzzing with news by now."

Zelda looks at him pleadingly, "Please…let me out."

The man shakes his head, "I'm sorry, that's out of my power." He turns and opens the door. Zelda asks, "Can you at least tell me your name?"

The man pauses for a moment before responding, "It's Nave."

With that, he walks through the strong wooden doors and closes it, locking the iron bolts in place, sealing Zelda off inside by herself.

She sits against the hard black brick wall and hugs her knees, resting her head in her arms to keep warm.

It was dark now. Several hours have passed since the time Nave put Zelda inside the cell. Nave had given the guards a long-winded lecture on what would happen to them if they'd act the same way again. Needless to say, it tired both parties out very quickly.

Nave was inside the local bar, sitting in front of the counter as the bartender sets the drink in front of him. Nave looks up and takes it; taking a little sip to test the beverage, "Not bad." He looked tired. There was no one else at the bar, just the two of them.

The bartender, deciding to make some small-talk, spoke, "Rough day?" he asked. Nave looked at him, "Yeah…some of my 'High-ranking' men were out of line today…couldn't control their urges, I suppose." He scoffs, "Tried to take advantage of some woman." He thought for a moment, "…she's pretty good-looking, though. Not the type you'd think would end up in prison."

The bartender raised a brow, "Oh?" he smiled as he took a cloth from below the counter and began wiping it, "Speaking of pretty ladies, have you heard the rumors?"

Nave looked at the bartender lazily, "What rumors?" the bartender smiled, "About Hyrule. More specifically, the Princess…"

This catches Nave's attention immediately, "Do tell."

"Well…I don't know the details—and this is just a rumor, mind you." He began.

Nave grew impatient, "Just get on with it."

The bartender continued. He stopped cleaning to collect his thoughts before saying, "They say the princess ran away. The details are rough, but they say Hyrule's been trying hard to keep any of this from leaking out. And well…obviously it did. They say she ran off in the middle of the night."

Intrigued, Nave inquired the bartender, "Why would the princess run away like that?"

The man shrugged, "Who knows?"

Nave thought back to the Zelda in the prison. Could they be the same person? He decided to investigate, "I'm going to check on something." He stood up and dropped some rupees on the counter to pay for the drink, "Thanks for the story."

The bartender looked down at Nave's drink. He had barely taken a sip.

Nave walked down the dark streets. It was winter. Luckily, the wind wasn't blowing, or it would've been hell walking back. His breath trailed behind him in the form of mist. As he neared an alley, a cloaked figure steps out, blocking his path. Nave paid no attention to this and walks around the figure.

Suddenly, theres a loud clicking sound. Nave turns and sees a knife flying right for his head. Naturally he ducks to evade the weapon and draws his sword, "What is the meaning of this!" he demanded.

Under the hood, two white eyes glowed suddenly, "Garo…" Nave muttered.

The Garo were a group of spies and assassins from the Kingdom of Ikana. Nave had no idea why they were here or why they were after him, he knew better than to ask.

The Garo lunges forward as two long curved blades snapped out of it's hands. It almost seemed to fly towards him. Instead of doing what was expected, Nave instead waits for the right moment and lunges forward before the Garo could begin it's swipe.

He punches the Garo right in the face. Due to the angle and speed the Garo had flown towards Nave, there was an audible snap as the cloaked ninja's neck snapped.

The thing went limp and skidded behind Nave, crumpling to a stop.

Nave sheaths his sword and walks over cautiously to the crumpled form. He kneels beside the body and throws off the hood.

To his surprise, instead of a face like he had expected he found…

"A BOMB!" his eyes widen as the explosive detonates, shaking the entire neighborhood around him.

As the dust settles, Nave is seen lying on the ground a few yards away. He had enough time to get a quick sprint away. He groaned and turned over to lie on his back, blood seeped out of the wound on the back of his head. He stared at the night sky for a moment. The stars seemed to dance around him. He heard footsteps and turned his head to the side to see a pair of large muddied boots. The image suddenly becomes even fuzzier, "Who…?" he asked faintly before he slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Reminisce**

**CHAPTER TWO**

A tapping sound. That's what he kept hearing. What was it? It was getting louder. Nave could feel the dank moisture of the floor against his body.

He could hear his own breathing and that tapping again. Suddenly, Nave bolts up as the tapping is interrupted by a loud bang. Nave looks around quickly. He now realized that he was in a holding cell, as far as he could tell, he was alone. He looked to his left and saw three pieces of brick lying near each other. Above the bricks was a hole in the wall where the bricks once stood together.

Curious, he crawled over to the hole, stood on his knees and looked. On the other side was Zelda. She looked surprised for a moment before smirking, "Well, that's ironic."

Nave asked quickly, "Why are you…?" he picked up a brick and showed her, "…how?"

Zelda ignored this and said in the same tone he gave her when he had hauled her into her cell, "What did you do to get put in there? Don't tell me," she pretended to gasp in shock, "You wanted to be the princess, too?"

Nave simply stared, "That's not funny."

Zelda shrugged, "Seriously, though…why _are_ you in there?"

Nave puts his head down and shook his head, "I don't know…but I'm going to find out. Whoever is behind this will have hell to pay." He sighed and looked at her sternly again, "You didn't answer my question. How did you put a hole in the wall?"

Zelda shrugged, "With a pick."

Nave raised a brow, "How did you get a pick?"

Zelda smiled innocently, "I've always had it. If you would've searched me like you were supposed to, you would've found it."

Nave sighs despairingly and turns away, leaning against the wall beside the hole. Zelda, seeing this decides to do the same. They would've been leaning against one another's backs if they weren't separated by brickwork.

"I knew it…" Nave muttered, "I knew you'd be trouble for me…"

Zelda replied empathically, "I'm really sorry…I truly am. I never meant to drag anyone down with me."

Nave decided to check if his suspicions about her were true, "Why did you run away?" he asked inquisitively.

There was a pause before Zelda answered, "I'm looking for someone."

Nave scoffed, happy that he was at least right about who she was, "So you really are the princess."

Zelda nodded from the other side, "Yes…"

Nave turns his head towards the hole in the wall, "Who are you looking for? Why is it important enough to run away? Couldn't you have simply ordered a kingdom-wide search? You have men under your command."

Zelda sighs and lightly tapped the back of her head against the wall. She looked at the ceiling, "Questions, questions, questions…"

Nave responded, "You owe me that much for getting thrown in here with you."

Zelda relented, "Of course…well…where should I begin?"

She collected her thoughts and began, "I'm looking for someone very important to me. He…He's someone I hold very close to my heart. Two weeks ago, he had gone missing…things happened. Lots of things…complicated things."

Nave listened intently.

She continued, "Of course, my father issued an order to all available personnel to search for him. Days pass and still no word. I grew frustrated. I had no idea what they were doing. For all I knew, the men were simply sitting on their bums and drinking instead of looking for him." She inhaled slowly and said, "And then…a week after…he…had gone missing, I decided to take things into my own hands. I grabbed what money I could carry and snuck out of the castle."

Nave seemed amazed, "You snuck out of the castle without getting caught?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, I did. I learned from him…anyways, I then ran to my friend's ranch. She was the only one I trusted. Of course, we argued for a bit, because she wanted me not to do anything rash. I won her over, of course and she did all she could to help me prepare. She gave me a canteen of water, some milk, bread and other things to eat. She gave me a horse to ride and got me on my way."

She puts her head down and said, "Days pass as I searched for him. I passed through kingdoms and such, never resting for too long in one spot, following clues that seemed to dwindle with time. After a few more days, I struck gold and found a definite lead. It led me to this place; The Kingdom of Vanale."

He smirks, "All that for one person. He's really that special to you?"

Zelda nods, "More than you'll ever know. I can't go on without him, I know this." She looks around, "Now I'm here…because someone recognized me and began telling everyone I was Princess Zelda of Hyrule." She leans her head back against the wall, "That drew attention to me, and people began to ask me, I didn't answer right away because I was caught off guard and suddenly, I'm thrown in here."

She looks towards the hole, "Does that answer your question?"

Nave raised a brow, "Yes…It does." He scoffs, "It's all just some scary coincidence. Now I'm in here, and I don't know why…maybe I know too much? I'm willing to bet it has something to do with you, though…"

Zelda hugged her knees; "Regardless…" she began.

"…I'm going to get us both out of here." They both said at the same time.

They paused in surprise for a moment before laughing softly to themselves.

Nave looks at the bricks under the hole, "You know, if they find you with that hole in the wall, we're both going to land in even more trouble. Trying to escape?"

Zelda shook her head, "No…I wasn't. I made this hole to distract the guards. I don't plan on escaping without help." Nave thinks for a moment, suspicious.

Zelda continued, "I planned to get you in trouble for not following the rules and searching me properly. In the confusion, I'll take the credit and make a few deals here and there to buy my way out." Nave sighed miserably, "You're an evil little girl…do you know that?"

"Maybe…" Zelda smiled, "If I force my way out, that'll get me even more unneeded attention and I'll have the kingdom after me. I don't need that right now, so you'd have to take the fall for me. Of course, seeing you already in jail just ruined that plan of mine."

"Whatever." Nave muttered.

Without warning, one of the three iron locks on Nave's side of the door moves. Nave suddenly goes into action and begins frantically replacing the bricks into the wall. Each brick he fits in was followed by another unlocked iron lock.

As he reached for the final brick the door opens. Nave shoves it in place and turns quickly, sitting against the renewed wall.

Zelda listened in, placing her left ear against the recently walled up hole.

She heard:

"Ah, Sir Nave…" came a voice.

The second voice was less calm, "You're a sickening sight, Nave. What were you thinking? How dare you do this? Hasn't this kingdom treated you well? You were the last person I'd think to turn traitorous."

"What in heaven's name are you talking about?" Nave demanded.

The first voice responded patiently, "I believe you already know, Sir Nave. It seems you have changed alliances."

The second voice continued, "Bloody turncoat! You realize how many civilians you have killed?"

The first voice spoke, "You were found at the scene of the crime, Sir Nave. Theres no use denying it…you set off a chain of explosives below the pier of several docked homes and businesses in our harbor, sinking them. You were in the process of doing more damage within the kingdom when you were captured."

"What…?" came Nave's shocked reply, "This doesn't make any sense! I was attacked by-"

"No need for excuses, traitorous rat!" came the second voice.

"That's right." The first voice began, "Vincent here was the one who stopped you in time, needless to say, his words have more weight than yours."

There was a slight pause.

"Those boots…" Nave muttered. There was another pause, "You!" Nave exclaimed.

"Enough!" Vincent's voice rang out, "Kill the traitor now! Rats like these don't deserve to speak."

Zelda's eyes widen and she backs away from the wall. She points both palms at the wall and…

…the guards neared Nave as he began to get up. He was going to have to protect himself.

One of the guards raises their sword and Nave steadies his nerve.

Before the guard could swing, the wall behind Nave explodes with flames and embers bouncing on the floor like marble. Everyone in the room is floored as the dust hovers inside the room.

Nave is pulled to his feet, "Zelda!" he managed to say between coughs.

He heard Zelda's voice as she dragged him out of the room, "Oh, great…look what you made me do. I guess we're forcing our way out of here…" they run out the door and up the stairwell, Nave's eyes were still burning from the debris caused by Zelda's explosive spell, he tried to rub the burning sensation out with his free arm. Zelda, meanwhile, kept dragging him along and finished saying, "…as if I didn't have enough problems already…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Reminisce**

**CHAPTER THREE**

"That man…" Zelda said as she looked into the fire crackling in the middle of the campsite.

They had managed to get a good distance away from the men out searching for them. They were in the forest located on one of the hills overlooking the kingdom of Vanale. Nave and Zelda were huddled around a campfire, sitting against trees with large cloth blankets around them to keep warm.

Nave looked up and stared at her.

Zelda thought for a moment, "Vincent was it? He sounded important." She opened up her canteen and drank some water from it before saying, "Who is he?"

She then tosses the canteen over the fire; Nave catches it with one hand and says, "Vincent is the emissary of our kingdom. That's it." He uncorked the canteen and drank, "He's behind this mess, I know it." He took another long gulp as Zelda watched.

He sighs, "I have no idea what he's up to." He shakes his head, "I feel so helpless…" he screws on the cork angrily, "Dammit! Now I'm the traitor!"

Zelda didn't say anything.

He looked at her with anger for a moment. He felt it was all her fault, but didn't bother saying anything.

She could see how he felt, "I'm sorry…" she offered.

"Sorry is not good enough." He said miserably. He puts his head down. Zelda looked down and hugged her knees, "I…know." she said, "We'll get to the bottom of this, as long as we stick together, I'm sure we'll find a way."

She didn't get a response. She pulled the blanket around her neck to keep warm.

The silence settled in for a long time, as the two of them listened to the fire; both were deep in thought, drifting into their own little world.

"I'm not mad at you…" Nave suddenly said.

Zelda looked up at him. Nave continued, "I'm just…trying to save what's left of my life, that's all. Everything's happening so fast. Ever since I put you in that cell, my life is falling apart. I'm just trying to cope here, so if I say something wrong, don't take it personally."

Zelda nodded slowly, "Do you have any family?"

Nave nods, "Yes, a mother, a father, and a little brother. I had a good childhood, I guess. I wanted to be a knight when I grew up...like most boys my age. I went to some rich school, I wore fancy clothes, had to learn how to properly eat, how to speak properly, and how to dance." he sighs, "All I wanted to do was become a knight and be a hero or something…I'm halfway there, at least. I'm just the head of the kingdom's security force."

Zelda smiles, "I guess I can relate…being a princess and all."

Nave leans his head back against the tree and looks at her, "Princess…hmm, well…how's that title treating you?"

Zelda laughed softly, "Can't complain too much. I had the same childhood you had…schooling, etiquette, social things…" she shrugs, "Now that I'm out in the real world like this, I can see that it's all pretty worthless."

He scoffs, "Tell me about it." they both laugh a bit, trying to forget their own problems for a moment. They both fail miserably as the dank cloud of depression settled over them again.

"This guy you're looking for…" Nave began, "what is it about him that makes you like him so much?"

Having this question asked from nowhere took her off guard and she struggled for words, "Well…uh…he's nice. Really nice." She began, "and he's very brave. He is always so helpful, so compassionate about every little thing. He's also the most loyal person I've ever met. Even as a little boy, he'd always find some way to help someone." She begins sighing dreamily, "And that face…so perfect…his skin is so nice looking…he smells nice and acts so sweet."

Nave raises a brow and stares.

Zelda smiles faintly, sinking into her fantasies, "And his voice has this perfect tone, too!"

She closes her eyes halfway, looking comatose, "I could listen to him talk all day, even about dumb stuff, it didn't matter…I remember when he was little, when he'd walk, his butt would do this little jiggle, it was so cute! It was even better when he runs! I could watch him run all day…"

She giggled to herself, "Also, he's so caring, I mean…I can tell he really cares, the way he'd hold me…he's so protective, and I always felt safe. He's also a very great kisser. Even for his first time, he was great. Every time he'd look at me with those beautiful eyes of his…my heart would melt, he's so strong, but so gentle, those lips, oh Goddesses, those lips! And that body…!"

"Okay—stop." Nave said bluntly.

Zelda blinked, waking up from her dream-like state, "Oh…I'm sorry! I got carried away!"

"Yeah…" Nave replied slowly, rolling his eyes, "Basically, he's the perfect guy, I get it."

Zelda smiled happily, "Yes." She winked at him, "Jealous?"

Nave shakes his head, "No way…I wouldn't dream of it. Getting involved with royalty is too troublesome."

Zelda laughed, "Agreed."

"So, why'd he disappear all of a sudden?" Nave questioned.

She thought for a moment before saying, "From the info I gathered, I suppose he's on some quest or something." she shakes her head, "I don't understand why he didn't tell anyone. I don't get why he didn't tell me, of all people…it would at least comfort me to know where he went, but he just left without a word. I haven't heard from him since."

"…Doesn't sound very loyal to me." Nave mumbled. Zelda looked at him sternly, "Don't talk about him that way! He must have a reason…I know him better than that."

Nave shrugged, "Oh well…I guess we'll just have to ask him when we find him, eh?" he looked around, "Didn't you say you had a horse?"

Zelda smiled faintly, "Well…I sold it for some money. I needed to ride a ferry across the river to the north of here. That's where we're headed."

"You sold your horse…" Nave muttered, "Just great."

"I made sure it was to a good family!" she said defensively.

Nave shook his head, "Well, to the north is a village, I bet if we walk fast enough, we could get there in two days."

Zelda nods, "Yeah…and then you'll have to get a job."

Nave looked at her, puzzled, "What?"

Zelda smiled sweetly, "I'm not paying for you. You wanna ride the ferry; you make your own money."

Nave puts his head down, "I don't believe this…this has got to be a dream…"

Zelda grins, "Well, if it was and I'm in it, it can't be all bad, right?"

Nave laughs sarcastically, "Right…" he stared at her for a moment. Zelda blinks and her smile fades, "What?" she frowns, "Hey! Those better be clean thoughts you're thinking!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Reminisce**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Something woke him up. He was wrapped tightly in a blanket.

Nave moves his head slightly to the side for a moment before opening his left eye halfway. It was music that woke him up. It was a harp playing some slow melody, but neither sad, nor cheery…just caught in the middle.

Slowly, after listening to it for a little longer he opened both eyes half way and looked around slowly without moving his head. Zelda was gone.

His eyes are fully open now as he looks at the tree opposite of where the campfire was once burning, the campfire was gone…replaced by a basket.

He followed the sound of the music; the melodies led his eyes up the trunk where he saw two boots swaying slowly back and forth.

He looked up higher and sees Zelda facing the sunrise, playing the harp with her eyes closed. She was sitting on the branch, playing the harp beautifully without noticing Nave watching.

The melodies begin to slow as Zelda plucks the final cord and finishes.

She opens her eyes halfway, deep in thought and watching the sun slowly rise from between the hills. She takes the harp into her arms and hugs it gently, cuddling it lovingly with her arms and nuzzling it with her cheek.

"That was nice." Nave spoke.

Zelda's eyes open slowly and she turns he head. She looks down at him from the branch, "Rise and shine." she said, smiling, but sounded tired, "I woke up a few hours ago, and cleaned everything up. Theres your breakfast in the basket, go wash up in the river a few yards behind you." she turned back to the sunrise, "Take your time…theres no rush."

"What song was that?" Nave asked.

Zelda smiled and said, "It's a song from my childhood..."

She didn't bother diving deeper into the subject. She turned and looked to the daylight once again.

Nave looked at her. For someone with her uplifting personality, she sure did daydream a lot. He wondered what she was thinking about. Perhaps about the one she seeks to come across?

He shakes his head and gets up, walking towards the river.

After a short walk, he hears water and arrives at a small sparking stream. The running water seemed to resonate around him. If not for the water, the woods were silent. No birds, no wildlife about. He paid no real attention to this and knelt down by the water's edge.

He cups the water in his hands and splashes it across his face, washing the dreariness from his eyes.

Over at the campsite, Zelda was still on the branch, harp in hand. She lets out a long sigh and mutters, "Link…give me a sign…where are you?" she plucks another cord on her harp, "Why did you run off so suddenly? Why the secret?"

She tightens her grip on the harp, frustrated by not knowing where Link was. She shouts, "Why do you have to be so dumb!"

Her shout scares some nearby birds and they flutter away into distance. There was another sound, it was faint, but her ears caught it.

She turns around and tries to figure out what it was just then, her eyes searching and her ears listening for any other signs.

After freshening up, Nave walks away from the river towards the campsite.

As he arrives, he notices that everything was gone. The basket, the fire, the bags…

"…Zelda?" he asks cautiously.

No response.

Before he could step forward, a hand grabs him by the collar and yanks him backwards into the bushes he had just walked from. Nave was about to fight back until he heard Zelda's voice whisper, "Shh…be quiet."

The hand releases him and he turns to see Zelda to his left, kneeling down and peering through the bushes. He does the same.

"Guards?" he muttered as he sees a small group pass.

"I'm not sure…might just be a random troupe…" Zelda replied.

"…A pilgrimage?" Nave whispered.

Zelda didn't respond and merely watched. The group was headed towards Vanale. There were two horses pulling a carriage, the driver was plainly armed, and wore chain mail under his plain shirt. Walking in formation around the carriage were armed soldiers.

"Were you expecting someone important?" Zelda said in a hushed tone.

Nave shakes his head, "Not that I know of…the top brass rarely tells me anything anyways."

Zelda nods, "…let's just go before we draw attention." They both travel away from the group and finally, when they were out of sight, ventured onto the main road once again.

"It's weird…" Nave muttered as they officially began their trek northbound.

Zelda looked at him, "Hmm?"

"You'd think they'd have a search party after us, you know?" Nave thought, "But so far, we haven't had any real trouble, it's as if they had forgotten us or something."

Zelda nods, placing her backpack from her left shoulder to her right to get more comfortable, "You're right. The whole thing seems a bit off."

She thought for a moment, "Well…maybe it has something to do with whoever was in that carriage?"

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

She shrugs, "Well, maybe it's some high ranking person? And they don't want whoever that was to know that we broke out of their prison?"

"Yeah, that definitely won't look good." Nave agreed. They decided to put the topic down and continued walking.

"So what makes you think we'll find him over at the village?" Nave asked.

Zelda replied, "It's the only place to go. I'm hoping that he's talked to some of the people there. We might get some clue on where he might be headed, where he came from, and why he's traveling around."

"Oh…smart." Nave muttered.

Zelda smiles, "Thanks."

Nave continued, "What if he just skipped the village altogether?"

Zelda muttered, "Then…we'll look elsewhere. I will find him."

Seeing her determined like that, Nave decided not to question it anymore. To their left, they hear some grumbling, followed by a horse neighing. Shouting followed.

This gets their interest and they both silently, but unanimously decide to check it out.

They both go into the woods to find the source, as they neared it, Nave muttered, "I wish I had my sword with me."

Zelda's hand goes to the knife strapped on her leg. Nave looks at the weapon and asks, "Do you know how to use it?

Zelda shakes her head, "Honestly…no. I've never used a knife against another person before. I've never killed before, either and I hope I never have to."

"Good." Nave muttered, "It's not right for a princess to get blood on her hands." Zelda looked at him. Nave smirks.

Soon, they happen upon a turned over wagon with two women struggling to tip it back over with no success. The horse was safe, standing there watching.

Nave spoke and got their attention, "Hello, ladies…need some help?"

The first woman, a short brunette in her fifties looked to him and said slowly, "Yes…if it isn't too much trouble."

The second woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties nodded, "Yes, please…our wagon tipped over and now we're stuck here."

Nave and Zelda trudge down towards the two. Zelda inspected the wagon and asked, "Where are you headed?"

The younger one answered, "My mother and I were on our way from Vanale to our village north of here. The village of Ceres"

"Great!" Zelda said happily, "We'll gladly help. We're headed there as well…"

The older woman clapped and said, "We'll give you a ride. We're late so we must hurry. If we start now, we'll make it a wee bit after mid-day."

"Alright…let's get to work!" Zelda said. She pats Nave on the back, "Go on."

Nave looks at her, "Are you going to help?"

Zelda laughs sarcastically, "What are you, crazy? I can't lift that."

Nave sighs, "…rotten spoiled little…"

"What was that?" Zelda asked. Nave answered quickly, "Nothing."

The carriage arrives through the front gates of the Vanale Castle and comes to a halt in front of the entrance. Vincent was waiting in front of the castle doors. A group of guards lined the path from the carriage to the door. The driver of the carriage hops down the vehicle and opens the door. Out steps someone of royal stature.

Vincent smiles politely and greets the man, "Ah, Your Highness. It is an honor to meet the King of Hyrule himself. We've been expecting you." he bows.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE 

Ceres, a small town north of Vanale overlooking a large river that runs off into the Great Sea. The wagon with the two women rode off deeper into the small town, with Nave and Zelda watching. "Well, they were really nice!" Zelda beamed.

Nave sighed, "The younger one kept looking at me funny."

"She probably thought you were cute or something."

"You think so?" Nave asked, wondering to himself.

"I'm joking, it can't be that." She said slyly and walked off. Nave raised a brow and asked quickly, "Hey, whats that supposed to mean!" he runs after her and slows down beside her.

Zelda glances around them and examines their surroundings, "Hmm…well, for starters you're going to search for a job, and I'm going to find us a room to stay in."

"A job, huh?" Nave muttered, "When will the fun ever end?" he said sarcastically.

The two split up, agreeing to meet up at the docks in two hours.

Zelda was wandering around, looking for a place they could stay in when she saw just what she was looking for: The Ceres Inn House.

Zelda smiles, "Perfect." and steps inside.

Nave, on the other hand stopped in front of another building with a sign that read: The Enchanting Cascade Bar. He smirked, "Perfect." and stepped inside.

Inside, he saw a smoke filled bar, one of the customers held the bartender up by the collar. Nave sees this and raised a brow, "Hey…!" suddenly all the members inside turned to look at him, making him regret making a sound to begin with.

_The name sounded so friendly…_ he thought to himself, thinking of the name of the bar.

He decides to take the initiative, he points dramatically at the man holding the tender, "What do you think you're doing?"

_Damn…Worst. Line. Ever. I think the pointing is overdoing it… _he thought to himself, and lowered his hand, feeling a bit stupid, but showing no visible signs of backing down. The man sets the tender down and turns to Nave. Right then, Nave could tell that the man was drunk. The man's feet wobbled slightly as he stepped over to him, "Who the hell are you, huh?"

Suddenly, the man threw a punch at Nave…a punch that would never have hit him anyways. Nave watched as the man loses balance and falls flat on his face in front of his boots. Nave blinked. The man didn't move. Seeing this, he decides that the threat was over and walks over to the counter where the tender was standing; the other patrons went back to their own business.

The tender looked grateful, "Thanks, the fellow was a rough drunk…what can get you? The first one's on me."

"Actually, I'm looking for some info," he leans in closer, "about Hyrule's royal family."

The tender thinks for a moment, "Hmm…any member in particular?"

"What of the princess?"

"Well, I haven't heard anything about her," the tender said, "actually the king has been on his usual runs, strengthening public and ally relations and such. He passed through this town on his way to Vanale, which is his final destination before he heads back, for some reason he had been purposely making his trips longer than it has to be. He actually went around the kingdom and made his way through here. It's like he's looking for something…or someone." The tender scratches his chin and looks at Nave for a reaction. Nave smirks and stands up, "Thanks, that's just what I needed to hear."

"Sure thing, come back soon, eh?" the tender shouts after him. Nave gives a lazy wave over his shoulder before exiting.

As Nave walked along the docks, waiting for Zelda, he bumps into someone, "Excuse me." They both said at the same time, Nave turns and looks at the man, their eyes meet for a split second before they both continued on their way, "What a strange green hat." Nave muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX 

The sun was setting into the horizon, the orange glow blended in with the dark blue cloudy sky. The stars only seemed to be visible by the tip of the sun's rays and the edges of the clouds. Nave was watching this, sitting on the wooden dock, his feet dangling above the water. A box of food was set beside him; he looked up and saw Zelda. She smiled at him and said; "Thought you might be hungry." she sat down beside him, opening the box and handing him a sandwich.

"Thanks." Nave said and eagerly accepted the food; he unwrapped it and took a small bite, giving it a small taste. His face lights up and he begins to chow down.

Zelda had a sandwich of her own and took a small bite before staring off into the sunset.

Nave notices and asks, "You really like looking at the sunset, don't you?"

Zelda smiled faintly, taking another bite of the sandwich, she swallows and says, "There's an old Hyrulian saying, 'Chase the sunset steadfast.' It means always look on the bright side, and keep moving forward. Keep the dark behind you and always shoot for the light. As long as you keep at it, the future will always be bright, no matter how bad the past might've been, the light will always guide you."

Nave sets his sandwich down on his lap and ponders this, "Hmm…that's real deep, Princess. Not a bad philosophy."

"I try…" Zelda said. She reaches into the box and pulls out a canteen; she pops the top and takes a drink.

Zelda offers Nave a drink of her canteen, he accepts and takes a few big gulps before handing it back to her and finishing the sandwich.

"So, have you found a place to stay yet?" Nave asked.

"Well, yeah…luckily we got there just in time; I managed to book a room a few minutes after it became vacant, talk about good timing, huh? Don't worry. There are two bedrooms in it."

"That good to hear." He said.

Zelda glanced at him and asked, "Not disappointed?"

He looks at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"

She laughs, "Nothing…just being silly."

Nave raises a brow, not getting it, "Uhh…riiight."

Suddenly, he remembers something, "Hey…Zelda, you know your father came through here, right?"

Zelda looks at him, she blinks, "No…why?"

"Well, I went around, and it looks like he did, he's taking the long way around to get to Vanale, instead of just going there and turning back, he decided to go around, get into Ceres, and then cut through Vanale on his way back to Hyrule. People think he's looking for something, or some_one_. I'll bet he's searching for you."

"I wouldn't doubt that at all…" she said, deep in thought, "So that caravan we saw earlier today, that must've been Father."

"You think he'll be okay?" Nave asked, "It seems like they wanted to keep you in jail…I don't feel right about this."

Zelda turns back to the sunset, "Relax, my father has some of the best Hylian Knights with him. He's safe…no one would be stupid enough to do anything to my father. There'd be war, and Vanale doesn't want that, neither does Hyrule, our kingdoms treasure the peace. Besides, if I show my face, he'd force me to come back home. I'm close to…_him_…I know it. I don't think they knew I was the princess either…so calm down." She pokes him on the forehead playfully, although it was clear she didn't have the heart to smile.

She then takes another bite of her sandwich.

A shrill scream causes her to choke; Nave quickly takes the canteen and gives it to her, she downs it, after a quick moment, she manages to say between coughs, "What…was that?"

The two stood up and see a growing crowd around something a bit further down the docks. "Come on!" Zelda sprints towards that direction. As Nave begins to follow, he skids to a stop, turns and jogs back to their spot, picks up the box of food and then finally follows Zelda, slinging it over his shoulder.

They arrive and start pushing through the crowd to see what the commotion was about. A few men were in the center looking at something that lay on the docks; an old woman was being hysterical with one of the men trying to calm her down.

Zelda looks over someone's shoulder and gasps. She sees a body laying there, it was half-decayed. The face was pale, it was a bluish white and seemed a bit shriveled, the clothes were torn, the color faded. Nave helps Zelda reach the front and jumps at the sight of the body. He was in shock, "That's…"

Zelda turns to him, "Do you know who it is?" she asked.

"It's…Vincent. I know it is." Nave said breathlessly.

"…The guy from Vanale?" Zelda questioned.

"Yeah…no mistaking it…" He said.

The panic-stricken woman finally managed to calm down and said, "I…I thought I had caught a fish and then it just…..floated up…"

One of the men stood up after examining the body, "…he's been dead for two weeks."

Zelda and Nave made a connection at the same time. Nave thought of what Zelda had told him:

"_I'm looking for someone very important to me. He…He's someone I hold very close to my heart. Two weeks ago, he had gone missing…things happened. Lots of things…complicated things."_

And now it seems the person named Vincent…the same man who had set Nave up was actually an imposter, with the real Vincent dead at around the same time the person Zelda was looking for went missing…and now the King of Hyrule was probably in the same room as him at this moment.

"We have to go back to Vanale." Zelda said quickly, a serious look on her face. She quickly pushes her way out of the crowd with Nave behind her. They make it through and break into a full run.

"How are we going to get there in time?" Nave asked as they rounded a corner, "It'll take us two days to get there by foot!"

Zelda replies between breaths, "I know a place…I just saw it a few hours ago…horses."

They both skid to a stop in front of a building, to the left of it, there were stalls. Neighing was heard.

"I need two of your fastest horses." Zelda was saying to the owner as they stood in front of the stalls.

"It'll be mighty expensive…think you can afford it, missy?" the owner asked.

"Here!" she shoves a bag full of rupees at him. The man looks inside and his eyes widen, "Holy crap! You can buy the whole damn ranch with this much!"

"I don't care…give me the horses!" Zelda demanded, not caring at all.

"Well, there's a small problem…" the owner said, unaware of the urgency of the situation.

Nave watches as Zelda rides out of the stalls with a white horse. "Where's mine?" Nave asked. "Get on! They only had one, let's go!" Nave didn't want to waste any more time and climbed on, putting his hand around her waist.

Zelda turns the horse towards the fence and gallops full speed, leaping over it before Nave had a chance to register what was going on. She turns and goes full speed out of town and onto the road that lead to Vanale.

The sun had finally set, the last of its rays fading away.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

It was dark, the moon was hidden behind the dark clouds, and the air was wet. The only sources of light were from the edges of the moon's aura and the fireflies that lit the forested areas on both sides of the dirt road. The branches of the leaves swayed gently in the breeze. The sound of the river hidden somewhere behind the trees kept the road from becoming completely silent, the sound of rapid hoof-beats began to grow louder until a white horse with two riders blow past, causing the fallen leaves to float lightly off of the ground before gently fluttering back down to the cold earth.

Zelda had a serious look on her face ever since the discovery at the docks, she hadn't spoken a word since they left town, pushing the horse to it's limits.

Nave senses the horse struggling to keep the pace and yells to Zelda over the wind blowing past them, "Zelda! We've been in a full gallop for awhile now, the horse is losing strength and we have to let it rest."

Zelda didn't reply.

Nave repeats himself, "Zelda…"

"I know!" Zelda sighs and slows down, coming to a complete stop and dismounting, Nave does the same and he hears the river somewhere to the left side of the road and leads the horse there for a drink and rest. The horse eagerly trots over to the river and begins to drink. Zelda follows from the road and watches. A few more minutes pass and Zelda begins to pace back and forth impatiently. Nave notices this and pulls the canteen from the box of food slung over his shoulder and tosses it over to her. Zelda catches the canteen and downs more water than she can take, spilling quite a bit before stopping. She wipes the water away with her forearm and tosses it back, "Thanks."

"You have to calm down; we don't even have a plan yet." Nave said, trying his best to ease her.

"You're right…I have to calm down." She muttered and sits down by the river, "We can't just barge in through the front door, can we?" she looks at her hands, they were trembling. Nave walks over to her, "Your adrenaline is doing that…relax." He puts his hands on her shoulders, "This is one useful thing I learned from my old job, because it can get very stressful sometimes. Close your eyes." She did so and Nave began to give her a shoulder and neck message, she tilts her head to the side, her breathing slowed down a bit as she began to finally relax, "That feels good…you're really good at that…" she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Nave smiles, "I know, it's one thing I can do pretty well."

As he continued, his mind began to wander, he kept himself in check and muttered to himself, "Stop that…she's taken."

"…Hmm?" Zelda asked, "What is it?" she was half asleep.

"Oh…uh, nothing…"

"You're strange…" Zelda muttered.

Nave stops after awhile and moves beside her, "I think that's enough for now."

Zelda's eyes open and she turns to him, "Hey."

Nave looks at her, Zelda smiles, "Thank you."

"Thanks for what?"

"Well," she began, "before I met you, it was really lonely traveling around. I didn't have anyone to talk to. So, I'd like to thank you for putting up with me for so long."

He laughed, "It's only been about two days, but yeah…" he paused, trying to form the right words, "I guess this hasn't been all bad. It was...kind of fun? Yeah, that's the word."

Zelda smiled, "Yeah." everything goes silent for awhile except for the river.

"Look…" Zelda said, "If anything happens tomorrow, know that I consider us really good friends. And…if things turn out the way I hope it will…you can come to Hyrule with us."

"Sounds good..." Nave said, "…let's rest up, I guess…hopefully we'll figure out a plan by tomorrow." He stands up and heads over to one of the trees, he rests his back against the trunk and closes his eyes for a moment, "…Will the horse go anywhere?" he asked. Zelda answered, "No, it won't. Trust me, I know horses. This one will stay close."

Zelda walks past him and sits down on the other side of the same tree he was using.

"By the way," Zelda said before closing her eyes, "We're friends, but don't get any ideas while I'm asleep, ok?"

Nave smirked, "Sure thing, Princess."

Early morning; the white horse gallops down the road with Zelda and Nave along for the ride.

As they reached Vanale, they decide that it's best to enter on foot to avoid drawing attention. They both dismount.

Nave and Zelda pat the horse on the head softly and hand it over to some travelers for some rupees rather than leave it alone unattended.

The two finally re-enter Vanale.

As they both stood at the entrance, Zelda muttered, "Alright, now we need a plan."

"How about we check out the castle and look around? It should give us an idea." Nave offered.

Zelda shrugs, "Sure, sounds good."

Half an hour later they were still staring at the castle, "Ugh," Zelda mumbled, "this place is better guarded than Hyrule Castle."

"Yeah…this is gonna be a tough one." Nave agreed.

"Hey!" someone shouted, startling them. It was one of the guards. Zelda notices something about the guard.

She exclaims, "Wait, he's a guard from Hyrule!"

The guard stops in front of them, "It's you! Princess Zelda, am I right?"

Zelda nods, "Yes, it is."

The guard begins the bow, but Zelda stops him, "Don't do that! You'll attract attention!"

The guard blinked and laughed to himself, "I…I'm sorry, Princess, but we've been looking for you! His majesty…!"

Zelda interrupts, "Please, take us to my father! This is an emergency! His life is in danger."

The guard's expression turns grim, "Alright, follow me closely, please."

The three run into the castle through the front entrance, they arrived at the room where the Kings of Hyrule and Vanale, along with their emissaries were negotiating.

"We'll need to approach this situation very carefully." Nave muttered as they stopped in front of the door. "I'll do it my way." Zelda said, sounding determined.

The guard opens the door and Zelda walks in, startling everyone in the room.

"Zelda?" the king of Hyrule asked in shock, standing up. Zelda pointed straight at Vincent and said, "That man is an imposter! The real Vincent has been dead for two weeks! The same time Link had gone missing! I know you know where he is! Guards! Arrest that man!" The five Hyrulian knights, who had been standing behind the King of Hyrule, drew their swords. Vincent backed up, "What the hell!…Guards!"

The Vanale knights who stood behind Vincent and the Vanale King drew their swords as well.

"Nice way to handle things, Zelda." Nave muttered sarcastically.

The Vanale King stood up angrily, "Enough! I will have order! Lower your weapons!"

The Hyrulian King agreed, "Knights, sheath your swords, there will be no bloodshed!"

Everyone in the room slowly re-sheaths their weapons. The two kings sit back down, relieved.

The Hyrulian king turns to Zelda, "What is the meaning of these accusations? Where have you been?"

Vincent eyes Zelda carefully with a smirk on his face, the King of Vanale notices this and stands up, confronting the man face to face, "You…you're not Vincent are you? I knew there was something different about you. Guards arrest this man!"

Before anyone could react, Vincent draws a knife and plunges it into the King's chest, he turns to the King of Hyrule and withdraws the bloodied blade, letting his victim drop before throwing it at the Hyrulian king. It plunges into his chest as well. The world froze. Everyone was in shock at what had just happened. It happened so fast. Zelda's horrified scream broke the silence and time resumed.

"Protect the Princess!" one of the Hyrulian knights yelled. The Vanale knights however turned on the Hyrulians, their eyes glowed red.

Vincent points at Zelda, his tone changed, sounding wicked, his eyes glowed red "…You're not going anywhere, Princess. You'll all die here and Lord Ganon will rise once again!"

The Knights of Hyrule surrounded Zelda protectively. The Vanale knights charged and all hell broke loose.

One of Hyrule's knights manages to slay the enemy; he turns to Nave and tosses him his sword, "Protect the Princess with your life! Now go! Run back to Hyrule! She must live!" the knight then grabs the slain Vanale knight's sword and continues the battle. Nave tightens his grip on the sword and turns to Zelda. She was frozen, tears were streaming down her face. "Zelda!" he yelled, grabbing her by the arm, shaking her from her shocked state "Let's go!"

"I can't…I can't leave my father here!" she cried, her mind was a mess.

Nave forcibly yanks her out of the room as the doors close, locking the remaining knights inside.

As they ran through the castle, the Vanale knights turned to them with their red eyes. They seemed to be under the control of some spell. Nave had no choice but to fight back as they forced their way out of the castle and out into the rain.

As they ran through the castle gates, the Vanale soldiers stopped. Nave notices this and stops as well, turning to look at them.

"They can't leave the castle…" Zelda said, seeming to have recovered.

Nave nods, "Yeah, you're right. Let's get out of here."

They both turn and run.

Time passes and they both end up on the now familiar road that connects Vanale and Ceres. It was raining hard now and they had to stop to catch their breaths. Zelda stumbles towards the trees and places her hand on the bark, her head was down and she was breathing hard. Nave walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "Zelda…I'm so sorry..."

He gently turns her to face him and sees her face contorted in emotional pain. The rain mixed with her tears. Looking at her like this, Nave was about to burst in tears as well, but he didn't. Zelda's lips quivered and she hugs Nave tightly, openly shedding her tears onto his shoulder.

Nave wraps his arms around her and held her tightly as she cried.

He wanted to say something to comfort her, but didn't know the right words. They stood like that for a long time, as the rain fell around them. The leaves of the branches above shielded both, but they still got wet anyways. "I…" Zelda struggled to say, but Nave stops her, "We'll get Vincent back for this, I promise."

Zelda nods slowly, "…Thank you." She simply clung to him.

Nave held her close. Being so close to her, it felt so right for some reason.

Zelda looked up and their eyes met. Nave lost control and slowly tilted his head, leaning closer to her. Zelda knew what was coming, "…don't…" she whispered.

Nave paused for a second, but continued. As their lips neared, Zelda muttered, "Please…stop…I…"

But he didn't stop.

Their lips finally touched, but Zelda didn't resist. The kiss deepens and Zelda actually began to kiss back.

Her hand twitched and they moved to his chest, her eyes tightened and she roughly pushes him away, breaking the kiss.

She angrily slaps him across the face.

Nave was stunned. Zelda backed away, rain and tears rolling down her face, she looked heartbroken. Her eyes told him that she felt betrayed.

Nave regains his senses and realizes what he had done, "Zelda…I…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…it just…"

Zelda silently backs away and turns, running off into the woods. Nave didn't chase her.

…and the rain continues to fall.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Zelda stops in the middle of the woods, out of breath. She leans her back against a tree and slides down, hugging her knees, "…I can't take this anymore…" she muttered.

"Hey." A voice said, and a hand gently places itself on her shoulder.

"…Nave?" Zelda asks and looks up to see who it was.

Vincent stares back down at her and grins, "You wish." He tightens his grip painfully and yanks her up forcefully.

Nave looks up suddenly. There was a scream. It was Zelda, no mistaking it. He bolts into the woods, gripping his sword tightly "Please…make it in time…" he whispered, and runs as quickly as his legs would carry him.

He breaks through the bushes and skids to a stop, he sees Vincent's imposter with his arm around Zelda's waist, standing behind her with a knife to her throat, "Nave…" Zelda whispered, her eyes darting from the blade to him.

"Let the girl go!" Nave demanded; holding his sword at the ready.

Vincent smirks, "…aren't you tired of playing Hero, yet? We both know you don't have it in you. The Hero of Time…he is the one I seek." together, with Zelda, he vanishes, a purple orb of light staying in his place. The orb zips past Nave and flies straight to Vanale Castle.

Nave looks at the castle, "…hero…" the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he really knew what he was doing. This entire time, no choices were actually up to him. He was always pulled along.

"This is my choice…" Nave said to himself and runs towards the castle, "I want to save her."

Vincent was in the throne room with Zelda. Zelda was lying on the table, she seemed unconscious. Vincent was saying, "The flames of Sorrow…Despair and Destruction have been lit…all thanks to the people of this land. All that's left is a sacrifice…one that is pure. Pure evil or good, it makes no difference." he draws a knife and walks over to her and raises the blade high above her stomach, "Let us welcome the beginning of a new era! The return of Ganon! True ruler of this land!" he brings the knife down, but hits the table instead. Shock swept over Vincent's face, "What!"

Zelda had rolled out of the way, drawing her own knife and pressing the tip against Vincent's throat, "I'm sick of playing the damsel in distress. It's time I kicked your ass, whoever you are!"

"How…how did you…I had you sleeping!" Vincent stuttered.

"Simple. I had a barrier up…the spell didn't even touch me." Zelda smirked, "Come on, now…its simple magic, nothing a child can't do. Also, you sure do like talking to yourself. Must get pretty lonely, huh?"

"I don't need a lecture." Vincent said angrily.

"Fine." Zelda replied.

Before anyone can do anything, Nave bursts into the room, breathing heavily, "Let her…huh?" Zelda glances at Nave. Vincent takes this chance and leaps back, out of Zelda's range. Nave rushes forward, his sword ready for a downward slash. Vincent blocks with his knife and kicks Nave to the ground, "I've got much more experience than you, boy." Vincent extends his palm out at Nave and he fires an orb of darkness, knocking Nave's blade aside when he tried to block.

Before Nave could recover, Vincent plants his boot onto his chest, pinning him down.

Zelda runs at them to try to save Nave, but Vincent quickly blasts Zelda aside with the same spell, knocking her against the wall, causing her to cry out in pain.

He turns back to Nave, "You saved me back there, boy…and for that, I'm grateful. However, I do think you're stupidly annoying…so this is good-bye and good riddance, my friend."

He raises his blade up and brings it down. Before it could hit, an arrow flies through the air and impales Vincent's arm, causing him to double back in pain and drop the knife, falling to his knees, "Gah! The hell?"

All three turn to the source of the arrow.

There was a man standing by the doorway. Blue eyes…green tunic, strange green hat and a bow in his hands.

"It's you!" Zelda exclaimed excitedly.

"It's you?" Nave gawked, confused at the sight.

"It's you…" Vincent said bitterly.

"I came here looking for a friend…he asked for help and wanted it to be kept under wraps." Link said, "I find him, but there was something odd. Two weeks later, I find his body on the docks." He drops the bow and draws his sword, twirling it before pointing the tip at Vincent, "Aren't you a little too old to be playing dress-up?"

"I'm still a kid at heart, Link..." Vincent said.

"Give it up, Aghanim. The Evil Tribe is finished, so drop the charades."

Aghanim shakes his head, "No…I was so close…but it doesn't matter. There will be a sacrifice! Lord Ganon shall rise again!"

He grabs the knife and stabs himself; using himself as a sacrifice, "See you all in hell…" he grinned and collapses. Before anyone could react, his body disappears and the blade levitates for a moment before slicing open a portal in midair and getting sucked in.

"Crap…" all three muttered.

There was a bright flash and everyone is knocked to the ground.

A hand grabs the side of the portal from the inside, followed by another on the other side of the portal. Ganondorf hoisted himself to the entrance of the portal.

"What do we do?" Zelda asked, panicked. Everyone looked at Link. Link looked around quickly before his eyes landed on Nave, "You!"

Nave blinked, "Me?"

Link nods, "Yeah! Give him the boot!"

Nave raised a brow, confused at first. Then he quickly got what Link was saying. Nave takes off his boot and chucks it at Ganondorf.

Ganondorf says triumphantly, "Hahaha! I have returned!" before a boot smacks him dead center in his face, causing him to lose his grip and fall back into the portal with an angry shout, "Damn it all!" the portal shuts, trapping him inside once again.

The room went silent. They all stared at each other in shock. It actually worked…they gave Ganondorf the boot--literally!

All three suddenly burst into laughter, Link gives Nave the thumbs up as Zelda runs over and gives Link a tight hug, "Link! I missed you!" she lets go and smacks him upside the head, "Ow!" Link exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell me anything!" Zelda pouted angrily.

Several days later, Nave was standing in front of a door, wearing a gray tunic with a white lavishly decorated chest-plate. Link was behind him, he wore the same type of clothes, but with a green tint. After he finished putting the cape on for him, Link asks, "How are you?"

"Pretty nervous." Nave admitted.

Link laughs and gives Nave a pat on head, "Relax...she may be the queen, but she's still the Zelda we all know."

Nave smiles, "Right…any tips?"

The trumpets played, signaling Nave to enter. Link smiles, "Don't trip, don't laugh and stay calm…oh, don't stutter, either, that's what I did. Just stay calm, and you'll be a knight in no time." He pushes the doors open and Nave steps through, walking past Link and into the throne room where many different kinds of people were attending. Zelda stood at the head of the room and waited patiently with a friendly smile on her face. She was wearing a beautiful royal blue dress with a crown on her head.

Nave kneels before Zelda and Zelda asks, "Do you vow to uphold the marks of Chivalry and never flee from battle? To protect the Royal Family of Hyrule and swear your allegiance to this great land?"

"I do." Nave said.

"Then I, Zelda of Hyrule…bequeath upon thee…the rank of Knighthood." She takes her royal sword and taps him on the shoulders with the flat of the blade, "Rise, Sir Nave…Knight of Hyrule!"

Nave rises, trying to stop grinning, but failing miserably. The people in the background clap their applause. Zelda hands Nave the sword and gives him a tight hug, "Congratulations, Nave." she whispered in his ear. She lets him go and he turns to face the audience. Link was leaning against the door giving him the thumbs up gesture.

Nave thought back to that one night…

_Nave puts his head down, "I don't believe this…this has got to be a dream…"_

_Zelda grins, "Well, if it was and I'm in it, it can't be all bad, right?"_

"I guess you were right...it wasn't all bad, at all." Nave said quietly and bowed.

THE END


End file.
